The govt is planning to weed out this hazard by detecting contaminants in vegetables with the help of mega scanners.

Several studies have established the fact that the level of harmful chemicals in Indiaâ€™s edible crops is perilously high because of excessive exposure to pesticides or other growth enhancers. Now, the Delhi government is planning to weed out this health hazard by detecting the specific contaminants in vegetables and fruits with the help of mega scanners right at the entry point.

The machines will be installed at the Azadpur vegetable market, which is the biggest mart of its kind in Asia. The different colours that show up on the surface of vegetables and fruits which pass through the mega scanners will indicate the type of chemicals applied on them.

The appearance of the scanners will be similar to those fitted at Delhiâ€™s Metro stations, only they will be much bigger.

Officials are currently in the process of identifying suppliers and the "largest possible" sizes of such chemical scanners that can be procured.

"If the cost and logistics of the project work out, we may be able to install multiple scanners at the entry points of our warehouses where most of these trucks are unloaded. Sacks from each truck can then be put through the scanners, which would ensure a much stricter food quality check," a senior official said.

Haroon Yusuf, Delhi's minister for food supplies and Delhi Agricultural Markets ( DAM), revealed: " We took the decision to curb contamination of vegetables and fruits that make their way into peopleâ€™s diets.

Such scanners will not only nip the problem in the bud, but also enable the authorities to crack down on offenders." Pesticide overuse apart, it has been established through research that vegetables used in the Capital such as gourd, lady finger, watermelon, spinach, brinjal and cucumber are often pumped with chemical injections to spur their growth. Apples, bananas and mangoes are among the fruits that are artificially enhanced.

While calcium carbide jabs are administered to ripen the fruits quickly, copper sulphates are used to artificially colour several edibles. The short- term and immediate side effects of calcium carbide include severe eye and skin allergy, cough, and wheezing. Permanent sight impairment, skin ulcers and pulmonary edema are some of the damaging impacts of the chemical in the long run.

Copper sulphates cause burning pain in the chest and abdomen, intense nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache, excessive sweating and lead to discontinued urination. Injury to the brain, liver, kidneys, stomach and intestinal linings may also occur in copper sulfate poisoning.

Senior Delhi government officials disclosed that the idea to mount the scanners at Azadpur was conceived after their visit to France. " It is there that we came across such a machine and realised it could go a long way in ensuring adherence to food safety norms," Azadpur market secretary Raj Kumar said.

" At present, we randomly pick samples of vegetables and fruits each week and send them to grading laboratories," Kumar explained.

But the exercise is virtually ineffective for a mart of Azadpurâ€™s size, where around 1500 trucks â€” each carrying approximately 8 tons of fruits or vegetables â€” arrive daily.